Genesis
Chapter 14
The Rescue of Lot
At the time of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim,
these kings waged war against Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
All these joined forces in the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
For twelve years, Chedorlaomer had dominated them, but in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.
In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and his allied kings came, fought, and subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
and the Horites in their Mount Seir as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
They then turned back and came to the Spring of Judgment (that is, Kadesh) and subdued all the land of the Amalekites, as well as that of the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and took up battle positions in the valley of Siddim
against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, Tidal, king of Goiim, Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar; four kings against five.
Now there were many bitumen pits in the Valley of Siddim. As the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the pits, while the others took refuge in the mountains.
The enemy seized all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, including their provisions, and then departed.
They also captured Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who lived in Sodom, along with his possessions, and left with them.
One who escaped came to tell Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. These were Abram’s allies.
As soon as Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he assembled and led out his trained men born in his house, three hundred eighteen men, and set off in pursuit as far as Dan.
He grouped his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them, following their trail to Hobah, north of Damascus.
Then he brought back all the possessions, his kinsman Lot and his belongings, along with the women and the people.
On his return from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the Valley of the King).
Abram and Melchizedek
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High.
And he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth!
And blessed be God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hands!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”
Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand to the Lord God Most High, creator of heaven and earth, to swear
that not one thread or thong of a sandal, or anything that is yours, would I take. Lest you say, ‘Abram became rich at my expense,’
I claim nothing for myself! Only what the young men have eaten and the share due to Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, the men who came with me.”
Commentaries
The Rescue of Lot.
The number of kings and kingdoms in such a small territory is striking. These are not kingdoms in the strict sense but relatively small city-states, each led by a subject of the Pharaoh. The city-state served as a political and economic resource for the great empires. All the groups that contributed to the formation of Israel experienced firsthand the effects of these administrative units, which gradually exploited the peasants, villagers, landowners, and livestock owners.
Note how Abram is referred to as “the Hebrew” (13), which adds a sense of historicity to the story. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing conflicts between villagers and peasants and the representative authorities of the empire, particularly by groups identified as “Hapiru” or “Habiru,” which would ultimately be the distant origin of the “Hebrews.”
Abram and Melchizedek.
It’s a strange scene in which a priest-king blesses Abram. Abram complies with the law and pays a tenth to the priest-king. The New Testament views this unusual figure, who offers bread and wine, as a foreshadowing of Christ, the high and eternal priest of the new covenant (cf. Heb 5:6-10; 6:20).